Project Life: Life Skills Curriculum

Record Description

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs often serve young people who are expected to move toward independence while still developing basic skills needed for adulthood, such as managing money, maintaining housing, or making informed health and education decisions. This curriculum by the Virginia Department of Social Services offers a structured way to support that work through practical, ready-to-use workshops organized around key life domains like career preparation, money management, housing, education, health and nutrition, and risk prevention.

For TANF practitioners, the value is in the curriculum’s usability. Each topic includes multiple workshops with facilitator guides and supporting materials, which reduces the burden on staff to design programming from scratch. It can be used flexibly across settings: case management, group workshops, or partner-led programming.

Instead of relying on informal coaching or uneven program content, staff can use a shared curriculum that supports repeatable instruction across participants and sites. This helps create more continuity in services, especially for youth who need reinforcement over time rather than single-touch interventions.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-05-01

Life Skills Toolkit

Record Description

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners often need a clear way to identify what a participant can already do independently and where support is still needed, especially when working with youth and young adults. This Casey Family Programs toolkit provides that structure in a straightforward way for use in everyday case management. It helps translate broad goals like “become self-sufficient” into specific skill areas such as budgeting, communication, and managing daily responsibilities. The value for TANF work is that it creates a shared language between staff and participants, making progress easier to see and track. It also helps engage clients by turning abstract expectations into visible, achievable steps.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-04-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2022-01-25

FosterClub: Transition Toolkit

Record Description

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs frequently serve youth who are moving into adulthood without stable family support; basic planning around housing, money, and daily decision-making can determine whether they stabilize or cycle through crisis. This FosterClub toolkit gives TANF practitioners something concrete to use in those moments. It turns “transition planning” into practical activities that can be used directly in coaching sessions, rather than requiring staff to design their own materials. This toolkit addresses how young people are expected to navigate independence without structured, hands-on preparation. Practitioners can use it to make conversations more actionable and to help participants build real-world readiness step by step.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-05-01

State Strategies for TANF Child-Only Grants and Related Assistance

Record Description

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network tipsheet focuses on how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs can support children living with relatives or caregivers who are not receiving full family benefits. It fills a key gap for kinship families who often step in without financial preparation. TANF practitioners can use these strategies to design or improve child-only grants, ensuring support reaches the child without creating unnecessary barriers for caregivers. It also helps staff think through policy and implementation choices that better reflect the realities of kinship care.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-05-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2025-06-01

National Youth in Transition Database

Record Description

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) provides data on outcomes for youth transitioning out of foster care, including education, employment, and housing. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners, this is a practical tool for understanding where youth are struggling and what supports are working. TANF staff can use this data to refine programs, target services, and make the case for specific supports like employment or life skills programming. It helps shift practice from reactive to data informed and provides insight into achieving long-term outcomes.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-04-15T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2024-06-28

Pathways to Partnerships: Tips for Area Agencies on Aging and Title VI Native American Aging Programs to Improve Support for Kinship/Grandfamilies

Record Description

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network tipsheet highlights how partnerships between child welfare agencies, aging agencies, and community organizations can strengthen support for grandparents and relatives raising children. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs working with kinship caregivers, this tipsheet helps practitioners identify opportunities to coordinate services so that families will not have to navigate multiple systems on their own. The resource also offers practical ideas for outreach and collaboration that can help TANF agencies better engage kinship families, reduce service gaps, and connect caregivers to support that improve stability for both children and the adults caring for them.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-04-15T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-04-15

Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) 2026

The Administration for Children and Families will host the Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) with the option to join in-person in Washington, D.C. or virtually on May 20 to 22, 2026. This conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore strategies that support family economic stability and long-term self-sufficiency. For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) professionals, this conference will connect research directly to practice, helping agencies understand what approaches are producing results across the country. Topics such as workforce development, youth well-being, family strengthening, and poverty reduction closely align with the goals of TANF programs.

For staff who are not researchers, RECS offers practical insights that can inform program design, partnerships, and service delivery. It will also provide an opportunity to stay informed about emerging ideas, innovative strategies, and evidence-based practices that can improve outcomes for children and families. This free summit will be open to the public.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
Source
Sponsor
The Administration for Children and Families
Location
Capital Hilton
1001 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC
20036
OFA Initiatives
Event Date
-

Navigating the Tide: Connecting Our Child, Youth and Family-Serving Systems for a Stronger Future

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs often depend on strong partnerships with child welfare, education, and other family-serving systems, but those connections can be difficult to build and sustain. UC Davis will host an event on June 10-12, 2026 in Garden Grove, California to offer a practical opportunity to strengthen coordination. This event will bring together professionals across sectors to focus on how services can work together more effectively.

The sessions are designed to share strategies for improving collaboration, engaging families more meaningfully, and aligning services so participants experience a more connected system. This can help reduce gaps that families often face when navigating multiple programs, making it easier for them to access consistent support. Whether you are working on program design, case management, or partnerships, this event will offer both ideas and relationships that can strengthen how TANF services are delivered.

There is a registration fee for participation.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
Sponsor
UC Davis
Location
Hyatt Regency Orange County
11999 Harbor Blvd
Garden Grove, CA
92840
Event Date
-

Rising to the Challenge: How State and Local Governments Use Technology and AI

Record Description

Technology is increasingly shaping how human services are delivered, and this resource highlights how states and localities are using tools like AI to improve outcomes. For TANF practitioners, the value lies in seeing what’s possible—especially when it comes to reducing administrative burden and improving how clients access services. It helps bridge the gap between innovation and day-to-day practice, offering examples that can inform program improvements and spark new approaches to service delivery.

Record Type
Combined Date
2026-04-01T00:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
Region
City/County
Publication Date
2026-04-01